Orthodontia appliance



July 7, 1936. J RUSSELL 2,046,414

ORTHODONTIA APPLIANCE Filed Oct. 31, 1934 ZATTORNEY Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES ORTHODONTIA APPLIANCE Harry J. Russell, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as-

signer to Baker & Company, Inc., Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationOctober 31, 1934, Serial No. 750,835

1 Claim.

for attaching an arch-bow to selected teeth of the dental arch for the purpose of moving or straightening the teeth.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which shall include a body portion for attachment to a tooth band and constructed to permit the arch-bow or wire to be applied thereto in approximately the plane of the dental arch, in combination with removable clamping means for either positively clamping the wire in the body portion against movement relative thereto or to hold the wire against lateral displacement from the body portion and free for movement longitudinally of itself. Such a device will to a great extent eliminate the necessity for the use of ligatures because the arch-bow can be accurately bent for attaching to particular misplaced teeth and then easily inserted in the locking device. Furthermore, the positive clamping of the arch wire in the lock eliminates the necessity for soldering of stops on the arch wire at the anchor teeth since the lock may be applied to an anchor tooth and the archbow can be adjusted to the desired position by sliding through the look, after which the wire can be positively clamped in the lock.

Another object of the invention is to provide an orthodontia lock of this character wherein the arch wire may be attached to the lock in such a way as to make possible the exertion of pressure or tension on a tooth in any direction, whereby complete control of rotation of molars and distal or mesial tipping of teeth may be easily accomplished.

A further object is to provide an orthodontia lock of the general character described especially adapted for use with arch wire of rectangular cross-section so that the wire can be positively clamped in the look at all four sides of the wire to prevent rotation of the wire, whereby a tooth may be rotated or tipped in various directions without the necessity for springs or other extraneous pressure; although the invention contemplates a lock which may be used with arch wire of any cross-section shape.

Another and highly important object of the invention is to provide such a lock which shall be of minimum size consistent with the required strength so as to cause a minimum of irritation in the mouth, and thus to form the. lock of simply a body portion having a slot to receive the arch wire, and a clamping screw plug for holding the Wire in said slot.

A look of this character is extremely small, the

screw plug being about three sixty-fourths of an inch in diameter, and to make it possible to practically use such a lock an easy, sure and quick method of handling the plug is necessary. Accordinglyanother object is to provide a novel and improved construction and combination of the plug and a tool, whereby the plug can be picked up, carried and manipulated by the tool by simple pressure of the tool against the plugt Other objects of the invention are to provide an orthodontia lock which shall constitute a minimum of projection from the teeth so as to cause a minimum of irritation in the mouth of the patient; to provide an orthodontia lock which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong and durable, and which shall simplify orthodontia operations so that it shall be possible to perform such operations in a minimum of time and with a minimum of discomfort to the patient; and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description. 1

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure l is a plan view of a dental arch having the tool for operating the clamping screw plug.

Figure 5 is a perspective viewof the lock showing the body portion and the clamping plug in separated relation. a

Figure 6 is a front elevation of a form 1 of the lock especially adapted for use on molar teeth.

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional View through several teeth having'lock's attached thereto showing the manner of vusing the locks, and,

Figure 8 is. a'front elevation of several teeth with locks attached thereto illustrating the adaptability of the lock to difficult orthodontic operations.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the ortho-dontia lock comprises a body portion I which is preferably in the 7 1 opening 3 extending transverse of the slot'and of the slot. Theslot 2 is preferably rectangular andof a width to nicely receive anarch wire 4 that'is approximately square in crosssection.

For holding the arch Wire in the slot; a screw plug 5 is provided to fit the opening 3; and the 'plug is adjustable in the opening so as to either positively clamp the arch wire against any move:

ment', as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing, or the plug may be screwed into the opening 3'in slightular as. show Figure 5; 7

an e d p r ion 8 c rr p ndin ap a d lyspaced relation to the arch wire to hold'the wire against displacement from the slot but pier: mit longitudinal movement of. the wire.-

Preferably theplug 5 has a centralopening or recess 6 to cooperate with a tool 'lfo'rhane dling and manipulating the plug. Asshown, this oneninexis nono rcular and ma e th r qua as how n Fi s a d 4, r o n ec an- The tool fl. has

size to the opening 6 in the'plug butpreferably tapered so as to frictionally engage the walls of said opening when, the tool is pressed into the opening, whereby the plug can be attached and detache from the tool andcarried to and from the mouthof the patientandrscrewed or removed from the body portion or" the lock, easily,

quickly, and surely,., .If desired','the plug and tool "I may be made of magnetic material, and one thereof may be imagnetizedto make the connection of. the tool to the plug more positive. 7

In use'of the orthodontic lock, the body pore tin 'I isseouredgpreferably by soldering, toa

{tooth band .9 which is connected to a tooth l involved in the contemplatedoperation. 4,0.

the medial plane of the'slot is approximately The block is applied to the tooth band with the mouth of. the slot 2 facing 'labially or buccally according to'the'position of the tooth, so that V 7 parallel totheplane of" the dental arch, and the 'arc-h'wire may be appliedto the slots in a direction generally. parallel tov the. arch, for example, as

shown in Figure 8 ofthe drawing. 'v-Thle plugs 53 are, of course initially removed from the blocks and the arch wire is bent to correspond to the positions of the teeth tobe operated upon and to exert the desired'tension or pressure on the teeth, after which the arch wire may be slipped into the slots of the respective block's. Then the plugs '5 are screwed into place, either into tight clamping relation to the arch wire or loose 1y topermit sliding of the blocks relative to the arch wire. 1 1

One'fof the locks may be applied to each am chil -"tooth II as shown in Figure 1 for securing the ends of the arch wire, and obviouslylongi= tudinal adjustments of thearch' wirexmay'be made by slidingthewire through theslots 2 and then clamping the wirein the adjusted positions by the plugs 5. Preferably the locks used on the 'molar teeth have somewhat broader bases on the blocks than the. locks'u'sedon the anterior teeth, 1. e., bicuspids ,andinciso'rs, and as shown in Figure 6; winged extensions [2 are formedon theblocks for the molar locks to distribute the tension and pressure through the blocks: over a greater area of the teethp V V With reference to Figures '7' and 8, itwill be observed that my lock makespossible the ace complishment of difficult tooth 'moving opera-. tions, simply, in a minimum of time, and with necessity minute. 'Moreover, =it is highlydee construed in the light of the priorart.

claim is:' 7

An orth'odonti'aappliance comprising a toothx band secured to a tooth," a lockincludingfifa minimum discomfort tothe patient. The ease'j of applying the arch' wire to the locks so that the arch wire canbe "bent as desired to exert the necessary pressure or tension,=in'combination with the adjustability of'pressure aifordedIiby f;

theplugs 5 in slots 2, eliminates to a great ex tent the necessity for ligatures; Molar rotation and distal and mesialitipping of the teeth may also be easily accomplished. As shown iniFigj,

' ure 7, the archwire may be disposed 'diagonally o I of the slot 2 so that the plugwill engage the wire at one point diagonally .op'posite'the en- 7 gagementof the wire with the base of the slot 2 to exert a' rotative action on the tooth at A,

and the plug can be repeatedly adjusted to ad.-

just the pressure and compensate for movement "of the tooth. In other cases, the arch wire "may he slightly bent or looped in the medial plane of the'slot'so that the plugengagesthe base of the loop to exert longitudinal pressure 6 on the wire in opposite directionsjby flattening of the loop under the pressure of the plug/This operationis illustrated atB, in Figure '7', of the clrawng; Thisseparation is greatly facilitated by the fact that thewire maybe tightly'clampedfga against longitudinal movement in the'locksfon the teeth at either. or. both sides ofthetooth at which the loopv in the wire islocated; The oper*' ation of teeth under the spring pressure of thewire facilitated by this positive clamping-of the wirein the looks as indicated by thetwo middle teeth'illustrated in li'igure 8. e -While I have 'shown..the;lo'ck as especially adapted for use with arch wire that is rectani g-ularin cross'section, obviouslyarchwire of'any 'crossesection shape may housed. in connection withthelock. The. facility afforded in handling the plug *5 is highly important," since these plugsare of sirable that the locks constitute a minimum of projection from the teeth to:avoidzirritaticnof the tissues -01; the mouth, and the particular method ofhandling the plugsf'makescit possible v to form them of a'minimumlsize consistent with (a V theclamping 'pressurer'equired for locking the Q arch wire initheblocks' I], so that the over all size of the locks is reduced to the minimum."

- Other possibilities of use and .variations in slots will occur .60

the relations of the wire" to the to thoses killed in the art.

It will be understood by thoseskilleddn'they art that the specific structureiofthe 100k may.) e be modified and 'changedJwithout departing) from the spirit or scope oi the' invention, and therefore I do not. desire to be understood to'be Q limiting myself in the const'ructi'on of the: lock r. except'as required by the following claim when Having thus descrlbedmy invention, what do bloc-k secured'to said tooth band having: a transverse slot the longitudinal medial plane of which fl'i V is l approximatelyperpendicular to 'the axis of said band, said block also having a screw; threaded recess extendingitransversely of said slot with its axis approximately in said medial plane of said slot, an arch bow in said slot, and 101 a screw plug in said recess-holding said arch bow in said slota'nd having anon-circular open ing to frictionallyreceive a tool for handling.

and rotating the plug.

HARRY iJ. RUSSE L; 1 V 

